Board of Directors
Carl C. Berdahl, (Chairman)
Mr. Berdahl has over 20 years experience as an investment advisor and financial planner and consultant. He has served as CEO and Financial Strategist of Cashber Financial for past 15 years with a focus on international investment opportunities and strategies. He has raised capital for innovative and high growth companies in the resource and service sectors in Canada. Mr. Berdahl holds a Masters degree in Cognition & Counselling and also served as Dean at Portage College for 7 years.
Stephen Fabian
Mr. Fabian graduated in Mining Engineering (B.E. Min) from the University Of South Wales School Of Mines in 1981. He has worked in both underground base metal operations and in open pit coal mining in Australia. Between 1985 and 1993 he worked as a mining analyst and portfolio manager for Banker’s Trust Australia and County NatWest Australia. In 1993 he was transferred to NatWest Markets’ London operations to lead the Australian mining finance department. From March 1999 to March 2007, Mr. Fabian was the President and CEO of Brazilian Diamonds Limited.
Mr. Fabian resigned as President of Brazilian Diamonds in March 2007 in order to focus on creating a new mining company, Ferrous Resources Limited, which is developing iron ore properties in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. He was acting CEO of Ferrous until December 2007. In 2008, he returned as CEO of Brazilian Diamonds and also launched another iron ore company, South American Ferro Metals, which is currently listing on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). Mr. Fabian is also a principal and director of the Genus Capital Fund, a specialist venture capital investment fund focused on early stage opportunities in the resources sector which has now listed on the London Stock Exchange as the Baker Steel Resources Trust.
Murray D. Smith
Mr. Smith is a member of the Energy Advisory Board of TD Securities, Inc. and a member of the Advisory Board of HATCH, a Canadian based global engineering firm with over 8000 employees. He served for 12 years as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in the Province of Alberta and held four different cabinet portfolios over that time (Energy, Gaming, Labour, and Economic Development).
In 2005, Mr. Smith was appointed as the Official Representative of the Province of Alberta to the United States of America, where he led the Alberta Office in Washinton, D.C., until returning to Canada in the fall of 2007. Murray is the recipient of numerous awards, including being named as one of the Top 40 alumni in the past 40 years at the University of Calgary and being recognized in 2006 as one of Alberta Venture newsmagazine’s 50 most influential Albertans. A graduate of the London Business School’s Senior Executive Program, Murray also holds a B.A. from the University of Calgary.
Abe Neufeld
Mr. Neufeld is a successful business owner and entrepreneur who moved to the Peace River region of Alberta from Winkler, Manitoba as a child, and has remained in the area for 50 years. From 1980 to 2006, Abe built a very successful propane, petroleum, and chemical sales business - Neufeld Petroleum - across Western Canada, developing revenues of $221 million, 13 locations with over 250 employees, and over 6,600 customers. In 2006, Mr. Neufeld sold this business to Parkland Income Fund. Abe joined Parkland Income Fund as Senior Vice President of Commercial Business Development to assist in the transition.
Today, Abe is involved in an advisory and/or non-operating management role in 18 privately held companies. He also sits on the board of directors of Aquatera, a regional utility that manages water, sewer, and garbage for the cities of Grande Prairie, Sexsmith, and the county of Grande Prairie – the largest urban population between Edmonton and Fairbanks, Alaska.
Barry Caplan
Barry has accumulated over 25 years of experience in resource exploration and development after graduating McGill University with a Geology degree. Barry served as a geologist in both mining and petroleum, leading multi-disciplinary teams from conceptual development through commercialization.
As President of Ironstone since 2008, Barry has brought to Ironstone a success-driven and fiscally responsible approach to resource and corporate development – from prospect identification and asset acquisition, the integration of geology, geophysics and drilling in resource development, and attracting financing and funding partners over several stages of development.
Under his leadership, Ironstone has advanced its Clear Hills iron and vanadium asset by bringing the significant resource into NI43-101 compliance through two successful drilling programs, advancing its leading Grain Enlargement process through extensive laboratory testing and pilot development, building a competent team of motivated professionals, and increasing Ironstone’s market cap over thirty-fold during his tenure.
James (Jim) Masleck
Jim has over 30 years of financial management, strategic planning, budgeting, project economics, investment capital sourcing and investor relations experience with Exxon Chemicals, Gulf Canada Resources, Dundee Securities and several consulting firms. He has held board positions with several publicly traded companies including Gossan Resources, a Canadian based mining company.
Elvern Esau
Elvern has over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry as a civil contractor completing road and lease construction, maintenance, remediation, and reclamation, aggregate supply, and hauling special waste. Elvern is also responsible for job costing, as well as pre-site, environmental and hazard assessments.
Wayne Bell
Wayne has over 25 years of expertise in the oil and gas industry and is currently president of Western Performance Holdings Ltd., a firm specializing in mechanical and pipeline installation, lease and road construction and plant design and building.